Before submitting a nomination, please carefully read the below Terms and Conditions of entry.
General
1. These terms and conditions set out all the information regarding the Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards (the Terms and Conditions).
2. The 2024 Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards (the Awards) is being presented and promoted by Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism (MBRIT), whose principal offices are at 433 Elizabeth Avenue, Kippa Ring 4021.
3. Entry into the Awards is considered acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
Award Categories
4. You are encouraged to enter the category/s that best reflects your business success (separate nomination entries are required for each award category).
5. There are 11 business categories and 4 individual categories available to be entered as part of the Awards as listed below (each an Award Category):
Business
Individual
Major
6. The winner from each business Award Category above will automatically be entered into the running to win the City of Moreton Bay Business of the Year.
Eligibility
7. To be eligible to enter the Awards, it is a requirement that each applicant:
a. where the applicant is a natural person, has either a current permanent place of study or a permanent place of business in the City of Moreton Bay Local Government Area (LGA) at the time of nomination, judging of the Award Category winners and the Awards ceremony in 2024;
b. where the applicant is a business, has a registered office and/or place of business located in the City of Moreton Bay LGA at the time of nomination, judging of the Award Category winners and the Gala Awards;
c. where the applicant is a business, had been registered as a business for a minimum of 12 months (with the exception of Award for New Business Excellence);
d. is not a department, statutory body (with the exception of educational institutions), agency or instrumentality of government, including a Government Owned Corporation pursuant to the Government Owned Corporations Act 1993 or a company wholly owned by the State under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth);
e. where the applicant is a company, is not be a subsidiary company of City of Moreton Bay;
f. adhere to the submission qualifying period i.e. the period where all activities and supporting evidence took place - January 1 2023 to December 21 2023
g. where the applicant is a not-for-profit organisation, is registered as:
h. a company; or
ii. an incorporated association; or
iii. being constituted by a trust endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a charity and has an Australian Business Number, and is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
8. If at any time following submission of an entry the Awards the applicant goes into administration, voluntary receivership, liquidation or bankruptcy, the applicant is required to advise MBRIT and accepts that the entry will no longer be eligible for the Award Category.
How to Enter
9. To enter the Awards, entrants must:
a. create a profile via the application portal available at (https://moretonbaybusinessawar...); and
b. fully and correctly complete an official nomination form (in accordance with the instructions on the relevant nomination form), for the category they are entering and submit the nomination form online.
10. Entries for the Awards, except for the Business of the Year Award, will open on Wednesday 29 November 2023 and close at 11:59pm AEST Tuesday 19 March 2024.
11. Applicants may enter in more than one Award Category, but must submit separate nomination forms for each Award Category to enter. Applicants may only submit one nomination per Award Category.
12. An entry cannot be moved into another Award Category following the close date for entries for the Awards.
13. A single entry into the Awards does not guarantee the applicant as a winning entry.
Judging
14. Award Category finalists will be selected through a judging panel from the information provided in the nomination forms.
15. Finalists in the Award for Innovation Excellence, Award for Businesswoman of the Year, Award for Employee of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year and Award for Entrepreneur of the Year Categories will be subject to a two-tier judging approach. Once selected, each Award Category finalist will be invited to a 30-minute interview with the judging panel to determine a winner. Interviews will be held in April 2023.
16. The winner of each Award Category for the Awards will be chosen on a determination of merit. Judging of entries will be in accordance with the responses to the criteria on the nomination form, and the finalists interview with the judging panel (for the Award for Innovation Excellence, Award for Businesswoman of the Year, Award for Employee of the Year and Award for Entrepreneur of the Year Categories only).
17. The judging panel may differ for each Award Category and will consist of a panel of representatives selected by MBRIT based on abilities and expertise relevant to that Award Category.
18. The judging panel may, in its sole discretion, request further information from entrants at any time as part of the judging process.
19. The judging panel’s decision is final, and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into.
20. By entering the Awards, the applicant acknowledges that under no circumstance will judges and MBRIT be held responsible for any comment, viewpoint or expressions, whether expressed or implied, concerning the standard or quality of entrant’s submission. By entering the applicant agrees not to bring a claim against any judge, MBRIT, Moreton Bay Regional Council and sponsor in relation to feedback on your submission.
21. To the extent permitted by the law, MBRIT will not be liable for any loss or damage or personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with the Awards. The applicant will indemnify MBRIT and its officers, employees or agents against any loss or liability from any claim or action that arises as a result of a breach of these terms by the applicant, or the applicant’s use of the materials or information supplied by the applicant under these Terms and Conditions of entry. The applicant irrevocably and unconditionally consent to all acts being done that would otherwise breach your moral rights.
Supporting documents
22. All Award Category finalists will be required to submit a letter from an independent accountant (external to the finalists’ business) stating that the business is trading solvent. This will be reviewed by the MBRIT’s accountant to ensure that finalists are financially stable and trading solvent prior to the finalists’ presentation as part of the judging. All financial information will be kept strictly confidential.
Finalist and winner notification
23. Finalists from each Award Category will be notified between 1 May and 5 May 2024 depending the judging panel for each category. Finalists will also be publicly announced.
24. There will be one winner selected from each Award Category announced at the Gala Awards ceremony to be held on Friday 5 July 2024 (the Awards Ceremony).
25. Winners from each business Award Category will automatically be entered into the draw to win the Business of the Year Award and that winner will be selected and announced at the Awards Ceremony. Winners will also be publicly announced.
Marketing and Promotion
26. By entering the Awards, the applicant authorises the use and/or reproduction of images in relation to any editorial/advertising initiated in conjunction with the Awards.
27. By entering the Awards, MBRIT may use the applicant’s logo, business identity, details about your business or personal identity in any way in any material which promotes the Awards or your products or services.
28. By entering the Awards, the applicant authorises MBRIT and any sponsors to contact the applicant to provide any comments about the Awards and to take photos or video footage of the applicant’s business and representative(s) and use any of the material collected as part of the applicant’s entry (excluding any financial information).
29. MBRIT reserves the right to use and publish photographs and digital video recordings taken at the Gala Awards ceremony for the purposes of advertising and promoting City of Moreton Bay’s economic development and its programs. Entrants who do not wish to comply with this must notify MBRIT prior to the Gala Awards ceremony.
Force Majeure
30. If for any reason the Awards are not capable of running as planned (including due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of MBRIT), which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Awards, MBRIT reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to take any action that may be available, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Awards. MBRIT reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify all entries from any individual who tampers with, or benefits from tampering with, the entry process which as a result corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Awards.
31. In the case of the intervention of any outside agent or event which naturally changes the result or prevents or hinders its determination, including but not limited to vandalism, power failures, tempests, natural disasters, acts of God, civil unrest, strikes; MBRIT may in its absolute discretion cancel the Awards and recommence it from the start on the same terms and conditions.
Award updates or cancellation
32. MBRIT reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time and to cancel or amend the Awards at any time without notice or further recourse to the applicants.
Hall of Fame
33. MBRIT will induct a winner, who has won a Business or Individual Award Category three times in the past five Award programs/ years, into the ‘Hall of Fame’.
34. Entry into the Hall of Fame will exclude the winner from re-entering the subject Award Category for three years.